Sofia Papastergiadis, a frustrated doctoral student, travels with her mother, Rose, to a private medical clinic in Almería, Spain. Rose suffers from idiosyncratic leg paralysis that lacks a clear neurological diagnosis. Under the unorthodox supervision of Dr. Gomez, Sofia navigates her mother’s demands while attempting to establish an independent identity. The narrative focuses on the physical toll of caretaking, local encounters with a seamstress and an ambulance driver, and the literal stings of jellyfish in the Mediterranean. Sofia struggles to separate her own body and desires from her mother’s psychosomatic symptoms.
Readers interested in the psychological friction between parents and adult children will find a detailed study of shared illness and codependency. The book suits those who appreciate clinical observations of family dynamics and the ways people use physical pain to exert control over others. A reader finishes the story with a clearer understanding of how domestic obligations can stall personal development and how a change in environment can force a necessary break from long-standing behavioral patterns.
- Published
- 2016
- Language
- EN
